April 23, 2020

How the US can learn from Israel to counter Iran

During the COVID-19 crisis, one would have thought the United States and Iran would find ways to reduce tensions. Instead the Trump administration refuses to relax sanctions in the midst of a pandemic, and Iranian-supported Shia militias in Iraq continue to target U.S. forces. If this shadow war is going to continue, the United States needs to find more effective ways to protect its interests and counter Iran’s surrogates and proxies while avoiding an all-out war.

Previous presidents — from Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama — have been hesitant to respond at all for fear of starting a larger conflict. The Trump administration’s strike on Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani represents the opposite — an unnecessarily provocative approach that almost led to uncontrolled escalation.

Read the full article in Defense News.

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